by Steve Solloway staff writer , Portland Press Herald

Hmmm. It was the University of Maine. Kane had coached high school basketball for more than 20 years, applied for a few college jobs and got fewer invitations for interviews.

Hmmm. Maybe it was time to try again. Kane had updated his resume last year. He attached a cover letter and mailed it to Cindy Blodgett, the head coach.

''I wasn't sure if I'd hear from her or not,'' said Kane. He was a small-town, small high school coach. First at tiny Rangeley High, where his boys' team won the state Class D title in 1989. Later at Dirigo High, in rural Dixfield, down the river from Rumford. His girls' teams won 11 straight Western Class C titles and six state championships over a 10-year span. From 1994 to 2007, his girls lost 17 games. They won 263.

For two seasons Kane became the incredible ironman of Maine basketball, sucessfully coaching the girls' and boys' teams at Dirigo. ''I was organized but I couldn't have done it without good people around me.''

Nineteen of his players have gone on to play in college, including Tom Knight, the 6-foot-9 forward recruited by Notre Dame. Kane was proud of his accomplishments, even if few outside the western Maine mountains knew his name.

''I didn't know who would look past the small-school thing. If they did and asked to talk with me, I always thought I could take it from there.''

Understand that Kane isn't a self-promoter. He communicates directly and simply.

He is a second-generation coach. His father, Arthur Kane, was a success at Wilton Academy before consolidation and the building of Mt. Blue High in Farmington. When Gavin Kane went away to college, it meant commuting to the University of Maine at Augusta.

Blodgett called Kane at his home in Wilton, inviting him to meet. He walked into her office and left after a four-hour conversation. Kane doesn't have Blodgett's pedigree as a player but they quickly discovered what they did have in common.

He has a passion for basketball and the drive to coach it. So does Blodgett. Kane got the job as her second assistant earlier this week. His first day at work was Wednesday, studying film, getting to know the players.

''Cindy told me this isn't rocket science. We're still teaching the game of basketball.''

He didn't get the job because someone owed someone a favor. He wasn't part of a good-old-boy network. He wasn't bringing a 6-foot-4 female power forward with him.

He was hired because he loves basketball and knows its fundamentals inside-out. He works to win.

''I got a phone call last week from an assistant coach at Notre Dame. (Tom Knight) is already out there. They're very pleased with his physical condition. I was told Tom has been outstanding in pickup play.''

The pace at which America East basketball is played will be a lot quicker than what Kane was accustomed to seeing in Maine's schoolgirl Mountain Valley Conference. More players on each team will be stronger, more athletic. Kane will adjust.

For the first time in her coaching tenure, Blodgett will have someone with more than 20 years of coaching experience on her bench, at practice and in meetings. Blodgett will pick his brain and use his eyes. The good coaches do.

''She has an unbelievable vision of what she wants to accomplish,'' said Kane. ''There's no question in my mind she'll meet her own expectations.''

Kane will earn his keep. He always has.

Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at:

ssolloway@pressherald.com

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